I
used to think of myself as an American. Now my identity is not so
clear. After decades of identity politics, I am redefined as a white
man - a white male, if you will. This identification carries with
it a load of shame. White males, it seems, have brought our country
to a sorry state. I myself did not do any of this yet, as part of
the white-male group, I share in the blame. I am perplexed by the
situation. That is why I am writing this book.

Thinking
back to my attitude as a boy, I was proud to be an American because
Americans
were a self-governing people. We had a democratic government rather
than one that obeyed kings. We Americans had created a modern society based
on free expression. You did not go to prison if you criticized the government.
Our nation had a prosperous economy. We were the world’s strongest
military power. America was a success story, and I was proud to be part
of it. To English people, stuck with King George, my attitude must have
seemed
insufferable. But I was young then.

Now
I’m not so sure that America
is a success story. I am not even sure that I have a place in this society.
I am sixty-eight years of age.
During my lifetime, I have watched our nation decline in power and moral
influence. This period of time roughly coincides with the political ascendancy
of the Civil Rights movement. During that time I have been defined more
narrowly as a white man. For argument’s sake, I will accept that
designation. My question is: Where do we go from here?

Who
is “we”?
Sometimes I feel that I have no people any more. “We” is,
actually, “me”. As a white male,
I’m considered part of a group that has abused others. There
is no group based on that identity that any politically self-respecting
person
would care to join. I am not a skinhead. I do not belong to white-supremacist
organizations. So who am I if I want to be proud of myself or of my
kind
of person? There is no respectable person in America who would stand
up for someone like me.

The
American nation has gone into decline. Our banking system is insolvent.
The large automobile companies are bankrupt.
Unemployment is high.
The nation’s
manufacturing base is depleted. Nearly three trillion dollars are
being added to the national debt just this year. We have a massive
trade
deficit, and
now a reputation for attacking other nations. One might say that
the roof has caved in.

Much
of this misfortune can be laid at the feet of the previous administration
led by Dick Cheney and George
W. Bush. They were both white males
about the same age as me. Both attended Yale University about the
same time
that I
did. They both belonged to my “group”, in other words.
The nation and the world breathed a sigh of relief when their term
of office ended and
a black man, Barack Obama, assumed the reins of office. I, too,
was glad to see the change in administrations.

It’s
time for self-reflection. Let’s put the spotlight now on
identity. A person or nation with a weak sense of identity will,
sooner or later, become weak. And that’s what America has
become. For all the patriotic fervor and military power, the
pomp of the Presidency, and dissertations
concerning “American exceptionalism”, our nation
has lately experienced rapid decline. My part of that nation
- middle-class
white people - has declined
in particular.

They
say that America is a “land of opportunity” which
to me seems like an invitation for people to come in and take
as much wealth as
they can out of here. Get rich as quickly as you can and then
retire to your own private community. I want to know who -
other than the average Joe or
Jane who pays taxes and is sent off to fight wars - is giving
back to this community?

If
America is our home, we would want that home to be beautiful. We
would want our lives to be focused
on leaving our community
better than before
so a new generation can prosper. That kind of life would
make for a
healthy sense of identity. Can those of us who are simply
Americans still feel
good about ourselves? Can we have an honored place in this
world?

When
I was a teenager in the 1950s, a film came out titled “The Incredible
Shrinking Man.” It was about a man who took a pill
that made him physically shrink. At the end, he was just
a speck
of dust, trying to affirm his existence.
So, in my own land, predictions are made that the types of
people I grew up with - white people - will be a minority
of the population by the middle
of the 21st century. That prospect is now being “celebrated”.
Businesses are marketing instead to demographics that show
growth.

But
I say: My kind also exists. We have not shrunk into complete nothingness.